BKLYN Designs: Passing Down Fashion
Nameplates come in many shapes, styles, and sizes—from simple scripted pendants to bejeweled rings, belts, and bracelets wrought in gold, silver, and acrylic.
Each piece embellished, etched, and accentuated, nameplates are coveted and precious objects—but what if they are something more?
On January 31, the creators of The Nameplate: Jewelry, Culture, and Identity (Penguin Random House, 2023) Marcel Rosa-Salas and Isabel Attyah Flower, will join culture journalist Amber Lauren to share a glimpse into their years of research, starting right here in Downtown Brooklyn. Together they will explore how nameplates can be heirlooms that preserve and pass on stories about family lineage, history, and heritage.
Dr. Marcel Rosa-Salas is a cultural anthropologist, documentarian, and speaker who hails from Brooklyn, New York. She is cohost of the Top Rank podcast, coauthor of The Nameplate: Jewelry, Culture and Identity, and author of Total Market American: Race, Data and Advertising (2025).
Isabel Attyah Flower is a writer and editor based in New York City. She is executive editor of Deem, editorial director of Foundwork, and leads the public discourse program at re:arc institute. She is cohost of the Top Rank podcast and coauthor of The Nameplate: Jewelry, Culture, and Identity.
You can follow them on IG at @documentingthenameplate
Amber Lauren is a journalist, multi-hyphenate, and creator of the “Black Fashion History in 90 seconds” series, relaunched in 2025. A Brooklyn native of Jamaican descent, her words have earned an award-winning Copywriter title with The ONE School for Creativity. As an interviewer, she has worked with platforms like Curlfest, Black Girls in Media, and The Layout. With over a decade of media experience under her belt, Amber seeks to amplify stories of art, fashion, culture and media across the African diaspora.
For more information, visit www.ambersmodernlife.com and follow at IG/Tik Tok/Youtube:
